The Perils of Over-Irrigation
Federal experts warn that excessive water usage is turning productive land into barren salt marshes.
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Among the attendants at the National Irrigation Congress in Portland were Samuel Fortier, irrigation engineer for California, and Arthur T. Stover, irrigation engineer for Oregon. It was the pronounced opinion of these experts that there is a prevalent use of altogether too much water in irrigation. This overuse is carried to such an extent that water logging ensues. In some cases as much as 13 acre-feet of water are applied to the land. On the average, only four acre-feet are needed for a season's irrigation. In some investigations, 80 percent loss has been found from seepage. As a rule, only 30 or 40 percent of the water in irrigation is saved for the growth of farm products. Disastrous results may follow, especially when the water table terminates within a few feet of the surface. Then as the underground water rises to the surface it brings with it considerable alkali, and the land becomes less and less valuable. There is a district in the San Joaquin valley of California where this overuse of surface water has ruined a considerable acreage of land. Nothing but salt marsh hay will now grow on it.
“It was the pronounced opinion of these experts that there is a prevalent use of altogether too much water in irrigation.”
This 1905 critique of water management in arid Washington remains a foundational issue for the Tri-Cities today. As the region balances intense agricultural demands with the long-term health of the Columbia Basin's water table, the warning about 'water logging' and soil salinity echoes current concerns over regional sustainability and drought resilience.
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